Out of the Fire
by Keeralie Starflight
Summary: When their home is destroyed, a group of cats journeyed forth to find a new home. Thus began FireClan, Clan of the strong and true of heart. Lead by two cats named Loneheart and Hazeltwig, what challenges must they face to become a strong Clan? Summary was bad, story is better. T for violence. Probably cancelled forever now.
1. Prologue

Prologue:

You know of ThunderClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan, and WindClan. But you do not know of my Clan.

We are FireClan, risen from the ashes for a new beginning. This is our story!


	2. The Survivors

Chapter One: The Survivors

The forest had been burnt down completely, leaving only charred stumps. Few cats had survived.

The pale fawn tom sniffed the air, his amber eyes wide with worry.

"Is anyone there?" he yowled.

A soot-covered white tom appeared out of the gloom.

"I am. But many of the others are dead, Hazeltwig."

"We must find all we can, Loneheart. There must be some."

The two cats made their way into the blackened, charred landscape, calling to any cats they might find.

"Hazeltwig?" a small voice mewed, "Has the fire gone?"

Hazeltwig looked in the direction of the voice, and saw a small ginger-furred apprentice standing atop a rock.

"Yes, Maplepaw. The fire has gone out. You may come down."

The she-cat brightened slightly.

"He says we can come down," she mewed.

"About time!" someone growled.

Two cats, a black she-cat and a black and white tom, followed Maplepaw down to the two warriors.

"You are Pantherpaw, aren't you?" Loneheart said to the black apprentice, "Isn't this your brother?"

The she-cat looked up at him fearlessly.

"Yes. This is Cranepaw."

The tom nodded in agreement.

"Have you seen anyone else?" Hazeltwig asked.

"N-no," Maplepaw stuttered, "It's just us."

"And me."

A beautiful silver she-cat leaped gracefully down the rocks and stopped in front of them.

Loneheart smiled a bit.

"Silverfox. Glad to see you unharmed."

"Same to you, Loneheart," Silverfox said, "I passed Snowdrift and Tigerbolt a ways back. We've arranged to meet here at moonrise with any cats we can find.

"Will you take Maplepaw with you?" asked Hazeltwig, "That way, each of us will have only one apprentice to look after."

"Certainly. I'll see you both at moonrise."

The silver warrior turned and dashed off, Maplepaw close behind her. Hazeltwig started off in the opposite direction with Cranepaw, while Loneheart and Pantherpaw struck out east.

* * *

"Come on, Pantherpaw, keep up!" Loneheart growled in annoyance.

"I am, you old fur-bag!" the apprentice snarled.

"My, my! Fighting with your elders, Pantherpaw? That's not the way a daughter of Treestar should act."

A scarred brown tom stood before them, smiling a bit in spite of himself.

"Threelegs," Loneheart said, "Have you seen Treestar?"

The elderly tom shook his head sadly.

"He's gone, Loneheart. We're on our own."

The white tom sighed.

"StarClan help us!"

"Indeed," Threelegs agreed. "I managed to save his apprentice, but there was no way to help him after the old oak tree fell on him."

"His apprentice?" Loneheart asked, "Heronpaw?"

A small tortoiseshell she-cat peeked out from behind Threelegs.

"Pantherpaw!" she squeaked, "You're all right!"

"Yeah, I'm fine," the black apprentice muttered. "Cranepaw too."

"Cranepaw? Where is he?"

"He's with Hazeltwig," Loneheart mewed, "We should get back. It's nearly moonrise now."

* * *

As the cats approached the place where they had separated earlier, they saw that a small number of cats were already gathered there.

"There you are!" Silverfox said, "We were getting worried."

"You were, you mean," a massive black and silver tabby growled, "The rest of us can do without cats like _him._"

He glared pointedly at Loneheart.

"Tigerbolt," Loneheart said coldly, "I see you escaped unscathed."

"As did you," the tabby growled in an unfriendly manner, "By running away, perhaps. Typical behavior for a cat like yourself."

"Why, you..." Loneheart snarled, unsheathing his claws.

Silverfox stepped hurriedly between them.

"Stop this! It's beneath you both, especially when so many cats are gone."

Loneheart reluctantly sheathed his claws.

"You are right, Silverfox. It is wrong when so many have died today."

A small white she-cat, Snowdrift, nodded in agreement.

"Indeed. But some survived, as you can see."

Loneheart looked around.

A ginger-furred tom, Windchill, had his family, his mate, Yellowfinch, and three kits. A small white apprentice, and Hawkhaze, a brown tabby tom, added to the before mentioned cats.

"So few," Hazeltwig breathed.

"Indeed," Windchill sighed. "We were lucky to have Fleetpaw to help us. Even then, we couldn't save all the kits."

The white apprentice sighed. "I could've gone back. Maybe I could have saved Lilykit..."

"And die yourself?" Windchill's mate, Yellowfinch, was on her feet in an instant.

"I grieve for my kit," she whispered, "I always will. But she was to small to survive a journey. It is better...this way..."

The golden she-cat curled around her remaining kits and lay with her eyes closed.

"Journey?" Fleetpaw gulped, "What journey?"

"We must make a journey if we are to survive," Hazeltwig explained.

"We need a leader," Silverfox pointed out.

"I vote for Hazeltwig," Loneheart said, "He was the one who suggested searching for survivors."

"I second that!" Maplepaw exclaimed.

"And me!" Cranepaw and Silverfox both said.

"All in favor of Hazeltwig, come forward," Threelegs said.

All the cats except Tigerbolt, Pantherpaw, and Hawkhaze came forward almost immediately.

"Then Hazeltwig becomes Hazelstar!" Yellowfinch pointed out.

"I accept the role of leader," Hazeltwig said, "But until we find a new home, I will remain Hazeltwig. You may change your minds. After all, we barely know each other."

"Well, then, _Hazeltwig_," said Tigerbolt stiffly, "Where do we go now?"

"West, away from the forest," Hazeltwig decided, "We start tomorrow!"

* * *

**Note: I've only read the first three Warriors books so far, so tell me if there's any major breaches of the Warrior's Code or anything, please.**


	3. Pantherpaw's Defiance

Chapter Two: Pantherpaw's Defiance

The next day, Hazeltwig awoke with the dawn. The fawn-colored warrior stepped gingerly over Loneheart and Threelegs, and managed to get past without waking them.

Hazeltwig looked around, and noticed Heronpaw sitting at the top of the hill overlooking the destroyed forest. He climbed up behind the apprentice, and said softly,

"Couldn't sleep, Heronpaw?"

The tortoiseshell she-cat jumped.

"Oh, Hazeltwig. Um, I guess not."

She looked out into the forest.

"My parents died in there."

"Mine too."

"Do you think anyone else survived, Hazeltwig?"

The tom sighed.

"I don't know, Heronpaw. But if they did, they're on the other side of the forest. We won't find them."

Heronpaw sighed.

"I wish Treestar was here. He was my mentor, and he always knew what to do. But then he and Threelegs saved me, and he died."

"I wish my mentor was here too," Hazeltwig said, "And Treestar, and all the cats who died."

"Where will we go?" Heronpaw asked, "You don't really know, do you?"

"No. But Loneheart came from the west. Maybe he knows a safe place."

"Tigerbolt says Loneheart can't be trusted."

"Don't listen to that windbag!" Threelegs said, having snuck up behind them unnoticed, "He's just jealous of Loneheart, that's all. That cat is the most trustworthy creature I know!"

"Glad you feel that way," Hazeltwig said, "Because if I was to appoint anyone deputy, it would be Loneheart."

Threelegs glanced down the hill.

"The others are waking. We'd best go down."

* * *

The three cats descended the hill to find almost all the other cats wide awake and ready.

"We'll need to send out a hunting patrol," Loneheart said.

"Right, thank you," Hazeltwig said, "Would you take Windchill and Snowdrift and see to it please?"

"What about the apprentices?" Windchill asked, "Most of them lost their parents, and their mentors as well."

"We'll need to assign them mentors," Hazeltwig agreed, "I'll work on it."

"And Hazeltwig," Windchill's eyes were wide with worry, "We don't have a medicine cat."

Hazeltwig looked around.

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that."

"Without a medicine cat, will StarClan be angry with us?" Heronpaw wondered.

Pantherpaw snorted.

"Who needs StarClan? Not me!"

"Pantherpaw, be careful what you say!" Snowdrift cried in alarm, "StarClan could bring tragedy on us all for your words!"

"They already brought us tragedy," Pantherpaw said defiantly.

"That will be enough!" Hazeltwig yowled, "Pantherpaw, Snowdrift is right. Be careful!"

The black apprentice glared at him for a moment, then turned and stalked regally off.

Silverfox shook her head.

"She's trouble, that one."

"That she is," Threelegs agreed, "Nothing like her brother at all!"

Cranepaw was quietly talking with Fleetpaw and Maplepaw, telling them all about the adventures of LionClan, TigerClan, and LeopardClan, the Clans of the great cats of old.

Hazeltwig smiled.

"He's a good storyteller. Who taught him all those stories?"

"I did," said Snowdrift, "He's a good young'un, seems eager to learn."

"Well, I'll have no trouble finding him a mentor. Everyone seems to like him."

"Pantherpaw's impossible, and Cranepaw's an angel," Silverfox commented.

"It's because of their mother, I suppose," Threelegs said, "Bad blood in her, not sure what made Treestar fall in love with her."

"DeathClan rogues will do that to you," Loneheart said gravely, "I should know."

"Why?" asked Heronpaw, "What's DeathClan?"

"You go play with your friends," Loneheart snapped, "This is not a discussion for an apprentice's ears!"

Heronpaw looked hurt, but she scampered over to her friends without argument.

"I'd best be off," Loneheart said, "Come on, Windchill, Snowdrift!"

The three cats quickly bounded off in search of prey.

"We'll need more than they can catch," said Hazeltwig thoughtfully.

"I'll ask for volunteers," Silverfox offered. "I can take a few apprentices along as well."

"All right," Hazeltwig agreed, "I just need a few cats to stay behind in case we're attacked."

Silverfox, Maplepaw, Cranepaw, and Tigerbolt soon departed, leaving Hazeltwig with Hawkhaze, Threelegs, Yellowfinch, her kits, and three apprentices.

"Hazeltwig, there's not much chance of us being attacked, is there?" Hawkhaze asked.

"I suppose not. Why?"

"Well, you see, the others will come back, boasting about all the prey they've caught, and I won't be able to say anything," the tabby warrior explained.

"I see. Well, you can't go alone, but if you can get one of the apprentices to join you I suppose you may go."

"Thank you, Hazeltwig. Hey, Pantherpaw, fancy hunting?"

The black apprentice was on her feet in an instant.

"Finally, some action!"

Fleetpaw and Heronpaw sighed, unhappy at being left behind.

"Now, now, what's all this?" Threelegs laughed, "While they're off hunting stupid mice, how would you two like to learn some new fighting techniques?"

The two apprentices exchanged excited glances.

"That would be great, Threelegs!" Fleetpaw mewed.

Threelegs winked at Hazeltwig.

"This'll keep them busy. You take a rest until the others get back."

Hazeltwig nodded. The fawn-furred tom made his way to a quiet corner of their makeshift camp and lay down. He fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

Silverfox's patrol had done well. As they carried their freshkill back toward the camp, however, Maplepaw's keen ears picked up movement in the trees.

"Silverfox," she said uneasily, "There's something..."

At that moment, a fox leaped out of the underbrush, heading straight toward them...


End file.
